The 2018 "point-in-time" count done on a single day in January by volunteers from local homeless services agencies and the city, led by the nonprofit Homeless Action Network of Detroit, turned up 1,769 people experiencing homelessness in the three cities covered by the Detroit Continuum of Care, down 15 percent from last year.

The shift follows an 11 percent decrease last year.

The count is one measure the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development uses in allocating federal dollars to provide services for those who are homeless.

Over the past year, the number of people deemed "chronically homeless" — defined as having experienced homelessness for more than a year, for four or more times over a three-year period — dropped 11 percent, the Homeless Action Network and city of Detroit said in a jointly issued news release. That included the number of people sheltered and unsheltered who were considered homeless.

Among other things, the 2018 point-in-time count also showed a:

28 percent decrease in the total unsheltered population

36 percent drop over the past year in the number of chronically, unsheltered individuals

4 percent decrease in the number of homeless veterans

"Many of Detroit's homeless service providers and outreach teams have embraced the new emphasis on housing first and permanent housing as a way to end homelessness. The 2018 PIT count is reflective of their hard work," Tasha Gray, executive director of the Detroit Continuum of Care's lead agency for homeless services, HAND, said in a release.

The Detroit CoC, an independent nonprofit charged with spearheading the city's bid to end homelessness, and HAND have shifted over the past few years from funding transitional housing to permanent supportive housing that gets people into housing first and then addresses addictions, mental health and other issues that led them to become homeless. It's a point that's caused tension, as some local homeless service providers believe transitional housing is needed to get people ready for permanent housing.

But the CoC's prioritization of Housing First programs aligns with the priorities of HUD and the city of Detroit, improving the Detroit CoC's ability to compete for the $25 million it gets annually from HUD for homeless programs.

For its part, the city of Detroit added 143 permanent supportive housing units last year and expects to add another 300 over the next five years. It credits that move with helping to reduce the number of chronically homeless people in Detroit, Hamtramck and Highland Park.

News of the recent drop in the number of homeless in the three cities comes following a city of Detroit review of the Detroit Continuum of Care process for allocating about $25 million in annual federal dollars to address homelessness in the three cities and the role of its lead agency, HAND, among other things, following allegations of self-interest and lack of a strategic plan for ending homelessness.

While the city's review of the funding process did not turn up any ethical issues, Arthur Jemison, director of housing and revitalization for the city of Detroit, in late April recommended that homeless service providers no longer vote on or score projects for funding to avoid the appearance of a conflict.

He also called for an evaluation of the role HAND is playing to determine if it should continue in that capacity and for the development of a strategic plan to bring the three cities to "functional zero" homelessness, where the inflow of people into the system is less than the number exiting.